CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 19 Madi Kelly, 11, and her horse Sadie are in training with Jessie Best at Feather Ridge Equestrian. In the cold wind of a January day, Best is teaching a young girl English-style riding. "at's it! Keep your hands up," she instructs the rider. "Good job realizing they were starting to come down." Best stays in close range of the rider and her horse, circling, encouraging, and teaching. Originally from Michigan, Best looks at home in the cold. e hard work and muddy earth beneath her boots suit her, as if she were born in the very stables she finds comfort in. Childhood pursuit Best's love for horses was instrumental in her journey into entrepreneurship. At 3 years old, Best rode a pony for the first time at the state fair. She was hooked for life, she says with a chuckle. Best's parents had other ideas for her future. "My parents are sailors and tried to get me into sailing. ey bought me a sailboat, and it just sat in my living room. I turned it into my first horse barn," Best says. Many children dream of owning or riding a horse, but Best turned her dream into a reality. "Like most kids, I had a desire to have a horse in the backyard. I started mapping out a barn and keeping it in my basement when I was little," says Best. While she was working as head trainer at a riding facility in Apex, the owners gave Best free rein and let her run the farm as if she owned it. It's where she met Raynor and the two worked together. Best learned the business angle and realized she was ready to do her own thing. She couldn't picture doing anything else with her life. When her boyfriend's military career brought the couple to Fort Bragg, Best took the plunge and purchased the Fayetteville farm. Her experience and success convinced her that she was ready, but it was her passion for horses that fueled her to pursue her goals. "I really enjoy this. I don't want to do anything else to make a living," Best says. "I want to train horses and be around them all the time. If I can make my passion my job, then I'll never work a day in my life." Raynor chose to follow Best to Fayetteville. Best's parents help when they can on the

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